Georgia celebrates Palm Sunday

Orthodox Christians around the globe and in Georgia are celebrating an important day on the religious calendar today - Palm Sunday.

The day marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and is celebrated by a feast on the Sunday before Easter.

Worshipers celebrating Palm Sunday in Georgia go to church with candles and willow tree branches. The branches are blessed in the churches with holy water as a symbol of welcoming Jesus.

According to the Gospel, Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem and worshipers laid down their cloaks and small tree branches in front of him to walk on.

In the run up to the Palm Sunday holiday, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Georgia urged people to refrain from illegally cutting box-trees, since the Colchian box-tree is an endangered species.

A few dozen years is needed for the plant to grow and the species is currently suffering from a declining population. One reason for this is the uncontrolled felling of the plant.

The box-tree is one of the symbols of Palm Sunday and is actively cut and sold the week before Easter. Photo by N. Tskhvirashvili/RLRFE

Destruction or cutting of the tree’s branches is punishable by law, and is even criminally prosecutable. Individuals can be fined in between 200-500 GEL for destruction of the tree; however, if damage exceeds 1000 GEL, legal proceedings can also be initiated.

On Palm Sunday people who are fasting are allowed to eat fish, while after this day they must continue heavy fasting until Easter Sunday.

The period of Lent, or the great fast, began on February 19 and will end on April 8, the first day of the Easter holidays.